Can two male dogs live together?

My family recently went to a humane society that has a male puppy. My mom and I both thought he was adorable but we already have a 4 year old dog at home. Could we train the two dogs to get along, is there a big enough age gap that it should work out, or will it most likely cause problems? I've heard that it's better to have dogs of different genders. What do you think we should do?

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Yes of course it can work, I think male/male aggression is really not that common. Female/female aggression is more so. We have two males here (both neutered, one of them dog-reactive) and while yes, they have had a scrap or two between them, generally they are very tolerant of each other. It really depends on the personality of the resident dog- how does he do around other males? Some breeds are more prone to Same Sex Aggression (SSA) than others- notably terrier breeds like Jack Russels and Asian breeds like Akitas and Shar Pei.

Also, since new dog would be a puppy, you're probably fine here. It would see the older dog as a playmate and mentor, not a rival, so it's really up to the resident dog to decide here.

Absolutely! I have 2 males & they are the best of friends. I brought Squ'mey home at 8 weeks when Wiley was 5 years old. He had been an only dog, but well socialized & lots of doggie pals. Squam was intact until this week, at 2 years of age, Wiley is neutered. There were/are no issues with aggression between them. Like Bruno said, the older dog definitely helped pup along. Make sure to give the older one a puppy-free zone to escape to when he has had enough. Don't forget to spend special time with your older one also.

Member 904338
answered on 6/23/11.
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I have a show kennel and I have 6 males. Over the years i have had very few problems and have never had any serious injuries. Yes they will get into a fight once in awhile but they are trained not to let it get out of hand. I know there are some breeds that have problems getting along. The best thing to do is do a bit or research into the breed and talk to people that have them before you get another one.

Definitely, two dogs of the gender can definitely live together. Every dog has a different personality, different activity level, every dog is different. Try a few different male dogs and a few different female dogs to see which dog yours gets along best with.